'Joy and gratitude' — Rhodes inaugurates Marjorie Hass as its first female president

January 13, 2018 - Dr. Marjorie Hass, center, smiles while receiving a standing ovation after being inaugurated as the twentieth president of Rhodes College. Hass is the college's first female president.(Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)Buy Photo

As Marjorie Hass made her way down the aisle, bringing up the rear of the procession in her honor, she spotted a group of three students she knew seated toward the front.

"You guys got up early!" she told them with a grateful smile, stopping for a quick greeting before continuing toward the stage.

It was the exact kind of interaction — the friendliness, the personalized conversation — she's become known for in her short time at Rhodes College. Although her official duties began in July, Rhodes officially inaugurated Hass on Saturday as its 20th, and first female, president.

"I stand before you in joy and gratitude, humbled to be at the center of this morning's activities," her inaugural address began.

Her speech highlighted the college's strengths, but also a need to evolve and avoid complacency.

She also recognized her accomplishment as the first woman — and first person of Jewish faith — to be president of Rhodes. The ceremony included a Jewish blessing from a rabbi.

"And I want to thank those who worked to open the doors that I now walk through," Hass said. "I am committed to holding those doors open even wider for the leaders who will follow me."

Some faculty members wore pins on their robes that read, "Breaking the glass ceiling."

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January 13, 2018 - Dr. Marjorie Hass speaks during her inauguration as the twentieth president of Rhodes College.(Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)

Hass also announced the creation of the Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center, an investment in community partnerships focusing on urban education, the arts and social change, neighborhood and community development and youth empowerment and justice. Henry Turley, of the Memphis real estate and development Henry Turley Company, and his wife made a "transformational" but undisclosed gift to the college for the center.

In addition, Hass announced a new masters in urban education program that will produce 100 teachers annually, "each of them ready and able to make a difference in the lives of children in Memphis' city schools," she said.

The two announcements paired with themes Hass highlighted in her speech, from a desire to more deeply connect Rhodes to Memphis, to the importance of a liberal arts education that is well-rounded and yet prepares students for careers.

"They will need a holistic education that focuses on problem-solving and multidisciplinary approaches," Hass said. "And these world-changers are going to need to understand both the emergent technologies themselves and the ways those technologies can be harnessed for the common good."

She also made a commitment to make a Rhodes education accessible, recognizing the country's shifting demographics mean future students will be more likely to be first-generation college students, bilingual and may come from low-income families.

"We will build on their strengths, and we will work tirelessly to build need-based financial aid so that we can make sure that a Rhodes education is affordable for the talented students of this coming generation," she said.

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January 13, 2018 - People file into their seats as the inauguration of Dr. Marjorie Hass, the twentieth president of Rhodes College, starts.(Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)

Cary Fowler, chairman of the Rhodes board of trustees, said the school has had little turnover in leaders, making an inauguration a rare event.

"We are grateful for longevity," he said.

The room, set up for easily 1,000 guests, had closer to a few hundred, likely due to the blast of winter weather that struck Memphis about 48 hours before the ceremony. But the event carried on, and Rhodes set up a live video feed on its website for anyone who couldn't make it.

Hass, however, didn't mind the cold or the snow one bit.

"I grew up in Chicago, so I’m pleased to be celebrating my inauguration on a balmy spring day," she joked before the ceremony.

After months spent listening and touring the campus and alumni events, Hass said the inauguration still felt like an official beginning.

"I have now had enough opportunity to get to know our campus that I can really meaningfully speak about our future," she said.

Leading one of the processionals was student body president Thomas Mitchell, a Rhodes senior. Mitchell met Hass as part of a presidential selection committee and knew instantly she was the right fit.

He called her "immediately inspiring," someone students see around campus, and know as a person, not just for her title.

"The job of president of Rhodes College was made for her, and she was made for the job," Mitchell said. "And that’s how I felt the first time we met."

Reach Jennifer Pignolet at jennifer.pignolet@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @JenPignolet.